Trump Tombstone at Elementary School Halloween Party Spooks Some Parents

Here Lies A. Scandal

October 25th, 2017 – A parent at West Parish Elementary School brought a beanbag-toss game to a Halloween-themed fundraising event prompting outrage from other parents. The game was decorated with mock tombstones including one with the name “Don Trump” causing some parents to send photos of the Trump head stone to a Massachusetts Republican Party committeewoman. Amanda Kesterson, head of the Gloucester Republican City Committee, told local reporters:

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to put the sitting president’s name on a tombstone. It’s disrespectful to the office of the president, no matter who he is.”

Responses ranged from school administrators being “saddened” to Kesterson calling the injection of a political message into an event designed for school children “despicable.” West Parish Elementary’s principal was quick to condemn the display, writing:

“While, according to the parent, this was designed to be humorous, a number of attendees rightfully felt that it showed disrespect … it inappropriately brought a political agenda into what was designed to be a fun family affair.”

The principal’s letter to parents went on to affirm the school district’s position on political speech:

“Our school, and this includes school events sponsored by related groups, is not the place for politics. In planning future events, it will be made clear to organizers that school is not the place to engage in or to display political agendas or opinions.”

The unnamed parent responsible for the display was remorseful in an email statement to school administrators, saying:

“I would like to apologize to the teachers and staff of West Parish that have been brought into this at no fault of their own.”

Irate parents took to social media to express their outrage with some calling for school officials to be reprimanded for the incident. Gloucester’s mayor’s office weighed in on the controversy releasing their own statement, which read in part:

“We support the Superintendent’s Office in their efforts to provide a meaningful resolution and believe that the school administration is responding appropriately toward our community.”

Was the Trump Tombstone just a little spooky fun or was this parent dead wrong to joke about the death of a sitting U.S. president? Funny or Offensive? Vote and comment now…